Validation
by 2tailswaggin
Summary: There were just a couple things House needed clearing up.  This is a postep oneshot to Ugly  spoiler warning.


Tiredly, Cameron looked down at the various stains on her scrubs as they re-told the story of her most exhausting ER shift to date. She briefly considered a shower at the hospital then decided against it, just wanting to get home, get a shower, step directly into her pajamas and crawl into bed. At least her busyness had kept her mind occupied and away from feeling like an idiot in front of those damn cameras yesterday. Even now she tried pushing it out of her mind. But her mind, having been occupied all day by medical quick fixes, now demanded attention to deal with the things that had been pushed back for the last twelve hours.

She looked in the mirror and noticed her tired eyes, wondering, realistically, how long she would last in this job. As much as she'd tried to tell herself that she'd learned all she could under House - which was really the only explanation for resigning that she could bring herself to vocalize - she knew that working under him would always have been challenging and stimulating. God, there was that word again. Cameron closed her eyes, reached behind her head and pulled the elastic band out of her hair, releasing her disheveled ponytail. She walked across the room to her locker, pulled out her brush, and ran it through her hair as she made her way back to the mirror.

House was right, there was no challenge here. It was nothing more than triage really. All the interesting cases went to his team or back to their family practitioners. Caring for people who stupidly shoved random objects into body orifices, of which she'd had a record-breaking five cases today, hadn't been all it was cracked up to be. But she did have to admit those cases were balanced out by people like Mrs Johnson who'd come in experiencing retinal detachment and was terrified by the thought of functioning without her eyesight just six months after her husband had suffered a stroke. They were destined for a retirement home if she could no longer care for him. Cameron had diagnosed it quickly, preventing her from going blind, and saving their independence for at least a few more years. She held tight to those cases and pulled them to the forefront of her thoughts every time she started questioning why she was here.

It had taken her three years to finally admit that simply speculating on House's feelings towards her wasn't enough to sustain her. Being convinced of something only made it true to her and her alone. There was nothing she could do to force that truth beyond the boundaries of her own reality. She needed space. She needed to turn in a different direction. She needed to move on. She avoided the fact that simply moving to another department in the _same_ hospital hadn't really accomplished any of those things.

At least House hadn't come around in the last few days. Chase had operated on his patient but after yesterday she'd learned to stop bringing up House's name in his company. She sensed he was being patient with her, but she knew he knew the truth. She knew it was only a matter of time now.

Cameron brushed her hair into a fresh ponytail and tied it up neatly again. She splashed a handful of cold water on her face for the drive home, shrugged on her coat and headed for the door across the room finding House standing there watching her. A rush of emotions struck her. Not unlike the ones that always made themselves known when she ran into him but now combined with the paranoia that he'd somehow seen her revealing sound bytes, and worse yet, that was the reason he was here.

"Hi," she blurted out.

"Patient presents with involuntary muscle movement, internal bleeding and liver failure. What's your diagnosis?" House asks stoically while leaning heavily on his cane and the doorframe.

Cameron thinks for a moment then counters, "And their heart?"

"On a pacing wire," he answers simply and nods.

"If you said they had a rash too I'd guess Lyme disease?" she speculates.

"You're in a race and you just passed the second place runner. What's your position?"

Cameron thought for a moment then gave a light but confused laugh when she answered 'second place'.

House gave a single thoughtful nod then turned and left the room, the door swinging closed behind him. Cameron grabbed her bag and pulled open the door, finding House had already disappeared around the corner. She quickly jogged a few steps to catch up with him and asked, "What was that all about?"

"Just confirming you're not an idiot," he explained.

Cameron eyed him suspiciously, still walking quickly down the hall by his side and answered, "Good," drawing it out, hoping to get further explanation.

House abruptly stopped walking causing Cameron to do the same. She turned to stand in front of him noticing that look that told her either something brilliant or something completely obnoxious was about to come out of his mouth.

"Okay…three years ago. Were you an idiot then?" House screwed up his face and tried being rude but the look in his eyes was asking for a real answer. House was hedging and Cameron was intrigued.

"Don't think so," she gave him a cautious grin.

"Did you blurt out stupid ideas…and did I just go along with it?"

At that Cameron gave him a hearty laugh, "Definitely not."

"Definitely not what? You didn't blurt out stupid ideas or I didn't go along with it?" House faced her but his eyes darted everywhere else around the hallway.

"You rarely went along with my _good_ ideas…what's this all about, House?"

"I mean because you're obviously beautiful," he finally looked directly at her, "in that hooker kinda way."

Exasperated, Cameron mumbled a 'whatever' and turned away, too tired for his games.

She continued down the hall, expecting a response, knowing that House always had the last snide comment.

"Stimulating huh?" he said seriously to her back.

A shot of dread coursed through her body, halting her steps. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable smart-assed follow-up remark.

"But not in an erotic kind of way," he added, a hint of sarcasm returning to his voice.

Cameron finally turned to him, finding he'd made up half the distance and was only a few steps from her now.

"How am I supposed to respond to that?"

"Just pretend I'm the camera crew…" House started but Cameron interrupted him.

"You came down here looking for something. So what do you want?" she asked, now trying desperately to hide the defensiveness in her voice.

House just stood there, looking at her. Trying to read her. Trying to make sure she couldn't read him.

"So what are you doing with him?"

"Who?" Cameron asked but she knew the answer.

House held their look and Cameron challenged it hoping he'd see that it was none of his damn business.

"Better yet…what's he doing with you?" he asked. His eyes immediately fell away then returned with defiant intensity.

Cameron knew the intent of that question and his eyes had confirmed it but it still stung just a little.

"I should have fired him months ago," he continued, "five months ago to be exact." His expectant stare waited for her response.

The stinging turned to anger, noting that just last week had marked five months since she and Chase had been…involved.

"And if it was because he was a bad doctor, you would have done it long before that. So why did you fire him?"

"Why did you quit? And don't give me some shit about getting all you could from that job." The air between them was becoming charged with unexpressed emotion.

"I'd gotten all I could get from you," she answered flatly.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"God…" she started to laugh and shake her head, quickly looking past him then bringing her eyes back to his, "this whole damn hospital knows how I feel about you. You saw the footage…you figure it out." Cameron turned and started to walk away.

"Cameron…" The uncertainty in his voice begged her to stop her retreat. She stood waiting for him to continue. She closed her eyes closed and felt her heart pounding out of her chest, caused as much by her anger and embarrassment as her anticipation.

"…then what are you doing with him?" he finished in the same sincere tone.

Cameron honestly didn't have an answer and she was in no condition to successfully pass off a lie as the truth.

"I don't know," she finally admitted. It was the only thing she could think to say, and it was the truth, she didn't know.

What had started as two consenting adults having a physical relationship had turned into one of them having real feelings and the other one trying to hide hers.

This time she heard him moving closer to her and she felt her body tense. She knew she needed to just move forward, walk through the doors and go home, but she was unable to make the first step.

"Chase is an idiot. That's why he's with you," his tone remained quiet but his words still stung.

"…and I think we just qualified that you're _not_ an idiot, so…" he continued.

Cameron finally turned around, finding him standing closer than she expected. She shoved her hands deep into the pockets of her coat and confidently held his eyes.

"Everything _really_ is a damn puzzle for you, isn't it?" she asked, forcing the strength in her voice.

"Even when it isn't, you have to turn it into one," she continued. House just stood and listened intently.

Cameron's nerves were beginning to unravel and it was evident in her words, "What gives you the right to dig to the core of everyone else's vices when you won't even acknowledge your own?"

"You _have_ worked out your feelings for me," she continued, "I felt it…when I kissed you. So to answer your question…the reason I'm with Chase is because you're a coward."

"No…you know what? I _am_ an idiot," she continued with some sarcasm leaking into her words.

"Within a week of my resignation I had three offers. I turned them all down."

"So it's not because you love him," House finally stated, ignoring the current point she was trying to make.

"I'm not only an idiot, I'm pathetic, because I couldn't bring myself to leave Princeton."

House just looked at her, waiting on her answer.

"Chase is a good man," Cameron finally offered half-heartedly.

House took another step towards her, still waiting on her answer. The proximity of his body to hers was making her flush and she saw him take notice. She was tired and frustrated and knew she needed to turn and leave now before she did or said anything she was going to regret.

"But you don't love him," he repeated.

House took another step towards her and she pulled her hand from her pocket, putting it on his chest, stopping him, "What do you want me to tell you?"

"The truth," he quickly interrupted.

Cameron scoffed at him, "You already know the truth."

"I know," House answered as he pressed against her hand then put his lips roughly on hers. Cameron slid her hand from his chest up around the back of his neck and pushed her tongue confidently into his mouth. House, still holding on to his cane, rested his hand on her hip and kissed her more deeply. There was no hidden agenda, just Cameron feeling the truth in the only way House seemed to be able to express it.

She tried slowly pulling away but he kept bringing her back until he finally let her go. She looked briefly into his eyes, turned away from him and towards the doors leading to the parking lot.

"I'm glad you're pathetic…" House said to her back as she walked away.

Cameron put her hand on the door and stopped, wanting to hear what else he had to say. But when she heard him turn and walk away she pushed her way through the doors and into the cold night.


End file.
